history2701fandomcom-20200214-history
Pueblo III Bowl
Brief Identification Native American Anasazi Pueblo III Bowl: 1000 CE-1250 CE This is a black and white bowl created by the Anasazi people of the South West United States between 1000 and 1250. Pueblo's used bowls like this not only as functional pieces of equipment but also as a form of artistic expression. This piece came specifically from New Mexico, and is currently housed in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. Technical Evaluation Although this specific bowl takes has a geometric pattern, the Pueblo people decorated their pottery with a number of different designs including flowers, birds and other animals. Many of the same techniques that would have been used to make this bowl are still in use today. Today, the clay used for pottery is often dug from the same pits that the Ancient Pueblo people dug from. To make the clay the correct consistency for pottery, clay would be ground down into a fine powder, which would then be soaked in water and aged. Then all the fine sediments would be taken out and mixed with temper. Once the clay is ready, "the vessels are formed by using rope like coils of clay" Brody 1990, 57. Coils are "pressed and scraped together. When the desired wall height is reached the partially dried is thinned and shaped with carved gourd rinds' Brody 1990, 57. Finally, the bowl is coated with slip, polished and painted 1990, 57. In the case of this particular bowl, the outside was left unpainted, so the artist left the outside textured Brody 1990, 57. Local Historical Context The Anasazi people inhabited most of the South West United States including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah. Anasazi Culture is broken up into six distinct periods: "Late Basketmaker II (AD 100–500), Basketmaker III (500–750), Pueblo I (750–950), Pueblo II (950–1150), Pueblo III (1150–1300), and Pueblo IV (1300–1600)." This bowl most likely would have come from the Pueblo III period since it has been dated to sometime between 1000 CE and 1250 CE. Pueblo III culture is defined by "grand architectural scale, ceramic and decorative arts, and other manufactures" Adler 1996, 3. The creation and building of large scale pueblos or cliff dwellings is one of the major thing that differentiates the Pueblo III period from all other periods. During the late Pueblo III period, plaza-oriented pueblos became an important part of Pueblo societal organization Rautman 2000, 1. These aspects of Pueblo life during this time was likely caused by gradual territorial contraction 1996, 3. Pueblo III is also characterized by a series of community abandonments and aggregations. Smaller clan or lineage dwelling sites were abandoned in favor of larger communities, which allowed for better defense against enemies Rautman 2000, 1. Sites, especially in modern day New Mexico, were often located near rivers or areas of sedentary water sources, which reflects a need for reliable water drinking sources as well as a reliable water source for intensified agricultural practices Adler 1996, 174. During this time period, agriculture was the main subsistence strategy of most people, but there was enough of an emphasis on art that pottery making was able to be refined into the high quality process that it is today. Similar design styles of pottery indicate widespread social connections and networks between groups of Anasazi people Plog 2003, . World Historical Significance The Anasazi people influenced and laid the cultural groundwork for many modern day groups of people such as the Hopi Brody 1990, 58. Pueblo pottery and design can help historians and archaeologist understand changing local cultures and interactions. As populations grew, changed and moved, so did the methods and design techniques of creating pottery. Black on white pottery is one of the most distinctive aspects of Pueblo culture, and as communities became more localized, so did the pottery Plog 2003, 3. By looking at Anasazi pottery, archaeologist can understand political and social organization and changes for the entire Southwest US . Pueblo pottery making and decorating techniques can be compared with techniques used in other areas of the world. For example, although post firing decorations onto pottery was possible and not an uncommon method in other areas of the world, the Pueblo people did not often use this technique Plog 2003, 672. However, prior to 1150, most Pueblo pottery had a white, grey or red surface and was then painted and decorated in black paint Plog 2003, 671. By looking at pieces of pottery and art work such as this Pueblo III bowl, archaeologist can understand local social and political dynamics, and they can also start to understand difference in similarities in artistic techniques and styles all over the world. Bibliography Print Sources Adler, Michael A. The Prehistoric Pueblo World, A.D. 1150-1350. Tucson: University of Arizona, 1996. Brody, J. J., and Rebecca Allen. Beauty from the Earth: Pueblo Indian Pottery from the University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Philadelphia: Museum, 1990. Plog, Stephen. "Exploring the Ubiquitous through the Unusual: Color Symbolism in Pueblo Black-on-White Pottery." American Antiquity 68, no. 4 (2003): 665-95. doi:10.2307/3557067. Rautman, Alison E. "Population Aggregation, Community Organization, and Plaza-Oriented Pueblos in the American Southwest." Journal of Field Archaeology 27, no. 3 (2000): 271-83. doi:10.2307/530443. Web-Based Sources "Bowl." Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. March 24, 2018. Accessed November 10, 2018. https://www.mfa.org/collections/object/bowl-40662. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Ancestral Pueblo Culture." Encyclopædia Britannica. July 07, 2016. Accessed November 13, 2018. http://www.britannica.com/topic/Ancestral-Pueblo-culture. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Pueblo Pottery." Encyclopædia Britannica. November 08, 2010. Accessed November 13, 2018. http://www.britannica.com/art/Pueblo-pottery. Category:Technical Evaluation Category:Local Historical Context Category:World Historical Significance Category:Suggested Bibliography Category:North America Category:Ceramics Category:Anazasi